LU golf coach takes Georgia State job

Enticed by a program in the midst of major facility upgrades, Jessica Steward has stepped down as Lamar University women’s golf coach and accepted the same position at Georgia State.

Steward, who was announced as Georgia State’s next coach on Thursday, spent the last four years at Lamar. During her first season in 2016, she led the Cardinals to the Southland Conference championship.

Steward will be just the second women’s golf coach in program history at Georgia State. She replaces Cathy Mant, who retired in April following a 19-year career with the team.

Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta, Georgia State’s home course, received a $23 million renovation in 2017. The school is currently constructing an indoor practice facility.

“With all of the growth taking place at Georgia State University and within the athletic department, it’s a great time to be a Panther and I’m confident we can achieve new heights of success in the near future,” Steward said in a statement.

“Access to first-class facilities, along with the new practice building that will be completed soon, and an exciting downtown Atlanta campus experience for students means that all of the pieces are in place for this program to be wildly successful,” Steward added. “I’m looking forward to continuing the well-respected legacy of Coach Mant and leading GSU women's golf into the future.”

Jessica Steward (right) has resigned as head coach of Lamar's women's golf program and accepted the same job at Georgia State.

Jessica Steward (right) has resigned as head coach of Lamar's women's golf program and accepted the same job at Georgia State.

Photo: Photo Provided By Lamar Athletics.

Photo: Photo Provided By Lamar Athletics.

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Jessica Steward (right) has resigned as head coach of Lamar's women's golf program and accepted the same job at Georgia State.

Jessica Steward (right) has resigned as head coach of Lamar's women's golf program and accepted the same job at Georgia State.

Photo: Photo Provided By Lamar Athletics.

LU golf coach takes Georgia State job

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At Lamar, Steward inherited a women’s golf program that won three consecutive conference titles before her arrival. She made it four straight in 2016, earning SLC Coach of the Year honors.

In each season since, Lamar has finished fourth at the Southland Championships. The Cardinals are set to return six of their seven players from last year, although it’s unclear if any will transfer following Steward’s departure.

“I would like to thank Jessica Steward for her hard work and dedication to our women’s golf program,” Lamar athletic director Marco Born said in a statement. “She has continued a standard of success both on the course and in the classroom. We wish her and her family all the best.”

Steward came to Beaumont after seven seasons as head coach at Purdue-Fort Wayne. She played college golf at Boston College and the University of Miami.

While Georgia State’s facility upgrades show the school’s commitment to improving its stature in college golf, the Panthers haven’t been overly successful in recent years. They finished 10th out of 11 teams at the Sun Belt Conference Championships in April.

Georgia State has won five conference championships, the last of which coming in 2010.

“(Steward) is a successful head coach and a former professional touring pro who will elevate the competitiveness of our team,” Georgia State athletic director Charlie Cobb said in a statement.

A national search for the Cardinals’ next head coach is underway, Lamar’s press release stated.